Recent News
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Atlanta: Update on Chris Frazer & her family
Tim Franzen of Occupy Our Homes Atlanta has an update on Chris Frazer and her family's situation following the brutal and inhumane 3am eviction by 40 Dekalb County sheriffs:
Today, on Mothers Day, several of us came out to visit Chris Frazer, her mom Daisy, and Grandson Malachi at their new house, which is temporary. We brought Mothers Day flowers and offered our labor as there's still much moving around that needs to be done.
It's been just over a week since the Frazer family was evicted at gunpoint by Sheriff Thomas Brown and 40 of his officers at 3am. The trauma that the unprecedented action caused the Frazer family undeniably lingers strong. It was a tough scene to observe for anyone, but one can only imagine what it's like having you doors knocked in, physically forced out, and see all you belongings carelessly tossed onto the lawn.
Given the circumstances the Frazer family is making the best of the situation. The family's first priority was getting everyone under the same roof again.
Read more about how you can help below the fold.
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VICTORY: Monique White Wins Negotiation to Save Her Home!
After a 7 month campaign led by Occupy Homes MN, Monique White has been offered a new loan by US Bank. In October of 2011 Monique was perhaps the first homeowner in the nation to approach the Occupy movement and ask for help in defending her home from an unlawful foreclosure . The 6 month campaign to save her home set an historic precedent in the Bank and foreclosure reform movement. The new loan was offered some 15 months after the end of the Redemption period and with a payment in keeping with the homes current value.
Supporters have camped out in and around her home, led over a dozen marches on US Bank, collected over 6,500 petition signatures, packed the courtroom, shut down Bank branches, and even marched to the homeof US Bank CEO Richard Davis. Occupy Homes MN has worked with White and her family since October 2011, making national and international news in the process.
"I'm so thankful for all of the support during this process." Said White, "Through it all I kept my faith in God and fought for what's right. Right now I'm just thankful that my family and I will get to keep my home."
"Monique is truly a hero of the Occupy movement," Said organizer Anthony Newby with Neighborhoods Organizing for Change (NOC), "Monique may have been the first in the country to invite the Occupy movement to defend her home from an unfair eviction. This deal sets an historic precedent for what communities can accomplish when they unite around this issue. The new loan offer came some 15 months after the end of the Redemption period and involves a payment in keeping with the home's current value. If this deal can work for Monique White, it can work for homeowners around the country."
"We couldn't be more proud of Monique and the example she has set for homeowners around the country. Her victory gives hope to the millions of American's around the country facing foreclosure by showing that the banks can and must enact a grand bargain that would help every homeowner to stay in their home, whether they are in foreclosure or underwater on their mortgage, by reducing the principal on their homes to the actual market value." Said Nick Espinosa, an organizer with Occupy Homes MN whose family's home is also in foreclosure.
Occupy Homes MN is currently working with dozens of other families in the Metro area and around the State to bring Big banks to the table to negotiate a reasonable solution to the foreclosure crisis.
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A Victory for Lesliane Bouchard
Last December Lesliane Bouchard and her daughter Kristiane Chappell called on the Occupy Our Homes movement to help the disabled and bedridden school teacher keep her home in Murrietta, California. Lesliane was facing foreclosure from First Mortgage Corporation, despite her being qualified for federal modification programs which would allow her to stay in it if First Mortgage participated in them. Along with Occupy Our Homes activists, Occupy Los Angeles, Occupy San Diego, Occupy Wall Street, ACCE, the Urban League of San Diego and local elected officials joined together with over 41,000 petition signers at Change.org to work with Kristiane on behalf of Lesliane and help her stay in her home. After months of hard work and campaigning, Kristiane has posted great news on her blog.
The loan for the new house funded today. My mom's situation has officially been resolved, we just need to move her to the new house. Not exactly how I wanted, but I'll take this and be good with it.
I want to say thank you to everyone who helped. Thank you doesn't cover it really, I spent the last year or so fighting this, and in the beginning often times I was discouraged, tired, angry, and just feeling like there was never going to be an end that wasn't bad. That all changed about 9 months ago, after months of following up every lead, every shot in the dark, calling, writing and emailing every office of every elected official or government agency I could, I started to see glimmers of light in the form of people who cared enough to step in and help. One person would segue to another lead, who knew someone in a group, who could tell me where to call about something else. This has been a winding and crazy road, and I couldn't have gotten to this point in it without all of the amazing support I received.
This is an outcome which happened because of how hard Kristiane and Lesliane and the community around them fought for a just solution. Lesliane will have a home, where she will be near her family and be able to get the care she needs. Thank you to all the Occupy Our Homes activists who supported Lesliane's fight and congratulations to Lesliane and Kristiane.
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ATLANTA: Dekalb County Sheriff Ousts Family From Their Home at 3 AM
The scene early this morning at 3662 Wellhaun Road in Decatur resembled that of a major drug bust with officers sneaking around in the middle of the night. Instead of a bust however, officers knocked on the door of 62 year old Christine Frazer’s house at 3 AM to serve her with an eviction notice. Chris’ house was foreclosed on fraudulently by Investors One Corporation in October 2011, and she has been fighting it in federal court ever since. In January, activists with Occupy Atlanta set up camp on her lawn and committed to stay to defend Chris’ home from eviction.
Using what the sheriff himself referred to as “intelligence”Dekalb County law enforcement waited until activists were not present at the home, and the neighbors would be asleep to serve an illegal eviction after hours, putting 4 generations including her 83 year old mother, and 3 year old grandson out on the curb. They even rounded up her dogs and took them to the pound. To add insult to injury, the police blocked off the street and wouldn’t allow anyone to help secure the family’s valuable personal belongings from the side of the road.
Once again, it is clear that the government and our law enforcement officials are being used to serve and protect the interest of the 1% and not of ordinary people or even the laws that they have put in place. Occupy Atlanta is more committed than ever to the fight for Chris Frazer’s home, and the thousands of other homeowners just like her who are being disrespected every day.
Sherriff Thomas Brown and the Dekalb County political system showed their true colors today, and made it known where their loyalties lie. Today at 1 pm, Occupy Atlanta, John Evans, President of Dekalb County NAACP, and other community members will be holding a press conference in front of Chris Frazer’s home to put these officials on blast and let them know that we will not stand for this type of shady behavior.
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Atlanta: FLASH OCCUPATION to Save Pamela's Home
Bank of America is at it again! This "too crooked to fail" megabank--notorious for racial profiling, sub-prime lending, robo-signing, and ripping off everyone from investors and insurers to homeowners and the unemployed--is after Vine City resident Pamela Flores's home.
BoA is attempting to foreclose on Pamela, claiming that she missed payments during the trial period of a loan modification she received through the "Making Home Affordable" program. The thing is, Pamela Flores never missed a payment, in fact she was never even late, and has all the records to prove it. Pamela has no plans to just pack up and leave. She is fighting back, and Occupy Atlanta along with Occupy Our Homes plan to stand with her every step of the way.
On Monday April 30th, the day before her house is set to be auctioned off, we'll be at the Bank of America Plaza in Midtown with one simple message: Make a deal to keep Pamela Flores in her home!
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Protests Overwhelm Wells Fargo Annual Meeting, Shareholders Shut Out
As I write this, downtown San Francisco is filled with community activists and members of the 99% who have surrounded Wells Fargo's annual shareholders meeting in protest. The Merchant's Exchange Building in the city's Financial District, where the meeting is taking place, is effectively shut down, according to news reports and tweets from participants in the march and protest. San Francisco police have shut out dozens—maybe hundreds—of shareholders, who are displaying their share certificates and demanding to be allowed into the meeting.
From an AP report just filed:
Shareholder Mark Richmond, a 59-year-old Portland member of the group We Are Oregon, said he hoped he could voice his concerns specifically about predatory lending and home foreclosures. He said he expected some raucousness inside and outside the meeting.
"Oh, there's going to be some action all right. We're very dissatisfied with Wells Fargo," said Richmond, who works as a janitor at the Portland International Airport. "This should be very interesting."
The report continues:
Hundreds of union members, activists and clergy members blocked the street in front of the building beforehand waving signs and chanting, "We are the 99 percent! Let us in!"
The livestream and photos posted on twitter show a scene at once raucous, inspiring, and frustrating, as a massive and colorful crowd defiantly brings business as usual to a halt in the Financial District, but police stop legitimate shareholders from entering, and giving voice to the concerns of millions of people across the country about Wells Fargo's criminal practices.
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Minneapolis: Citibank Moves to Foreclose on Occupy Homes MN Organizer!
Citibank is messing with the wrong family. Over the weekend, Occupy Homes MN announced that it was launching a campaign to defend a home some of the local activists know very well; for 16 years, it's been the home of local Occupy Homes organizer Nick Espinosa. [Watch the video to meet Colleen & Nick, and see their home.]
According to an Occupy Homes MN press release:
Nick's mother, Colleen McKee Espinosa is a single mother of three who owns the property and is facing foreclosure after Citibank refused to accept a payment on her mortgage, having moved up the due date for her payment without her knowledge. They then added thousands of dollars in attorney fees because the home went into foreclosure, making it impossible for her to catch up. Colleen has worked as a registered nurse for over 25 years, serving and caring for others, and now she needs our support.
Dozens of local Northeast Minneapolis community members, as well as activists with Occupy Homes MN and Occupy Minneapolis gathered at their home on Saturday for a Foreclosure Free Barbeque. They shared stories and food, and vowed to work together to keep the family in their home.
Nick Espinosa said, "We announced our goals today—to put up 300 yard signs and get 1,000 signatures from our Northeast neighbors demanding a negotiation to keep us in our home. We hope that other Northeast homeowners, both going through foreclosure and underwater, will join us in this fight."
In a video about Colleen's story made by Occupy Homes organizers, she says:
"I have decided that I'm not leaving my home until we get a good faith negotiation. I'm fighting to send the message to other people not to give up, because if you're isolated you can't fight these people. I'd tell the banks they better watch out because people are catching on to their game and a lot of people are going to fight back now."
Colleen is a hard-working single mother of three—Nick, Connor, and Alana—who was reluctant to call attention to her plight, but is now committed to fighting back. Please stand with her and her family by signing the online petition to demand that Citibank negotiate to keep the family in their home and sharing her video-story.
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Rochester, NY: Rally to Divest from Chase!
From Metro Justice:
WHAT: Rally to Divest Rochester City Funds from Chase
WHERE: Downtown Chase Bank, Main St. and Clinton St.
WHEN: Friday, April 20th, 12:30pm
WHY:
As the third largest mortgage-provider in the nation, Chase has a major responsibility to prevent the foreclosure crisis from pushing thousands of people into homelessness. They have a responsibility to work with people to modify their mortgages, a responsibility that they’re failing.
Chase and the other major banks received billions of dollars in bailout money with the expectation that they would help people stay in their homes. Instead, they just kept at business as usual and continue to allow their practices to harm our communities.
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Minneapolis: Homeowner Demands — and Gets — Meeting with CEO of Bank Foreclosing on Her Home
North Minneapolis resident Monique White was one of the first homeowners in the nation to reach out to the Occupy movement to stand with her in fighting back against foreclosure. And she has proved to be a formidable force, inspiring Occupy Homes Minnesota and other homeowners — in the Twin Cities area and across the country — to keep fighting even when the odds seem stacked against them
And yesterday, her tenacity paid off again.
From Occupy Minneapolis:
» Read MoreMinneapolis - It’s not every day you force a CEO of one of the largest banks in the country to meet with a homeowner they are foreclosing on, but that’s just what happened today as Monique White went head to head with CEO Richard Davis at the annual US Bank shareholders meeting. After more than six months of collecting signatures, public actions, marches, and call-in campaigns, White finally got her meeting with Davis after confronting him in front of 2,000 shareholders.
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NYC: Organize for Occupation Call to Action
Today marks the beginning of a week of actions to stop the sales of foreclosed homes at auction in New York City.
According to Organizing for Occupation (O4O):
Every week, foreclosed homes are sold at auctions throughout the five boroughs of New York City. Many of the families who live in these homes were victims of predatory loans and deceptive banking practices, but now face imminent evictions from some of the biggest culprits of financial fraud in the banking and mortgage industry. Others will have their house bought out by speculators, who are looking to flip properties, or gentrify new neighborhoods.
Watch the powerful new 'call to action' video and if you're in New York, join O4O and Occupy Wall Street (OWS) activists to occupy the forecluse auctions:
MONDAY, April 16th, 2pm
Bronx Supreme Court, Rm 600. 851 Grand Concourse, Bronx
Who: Organizing for Occupation (O4O), OWS
THURSDAY, April 19th, 3pm
Kings County Supreme Court, 360 Adams St, Brooklyn
Who: Occupy Faith, Catholic Worker, Jews for Racial & Economic Justice (JFREJ)
FRIDAY, April 20th, 11am
Queens Supreme Court, 8811 Sutphin Boulevard, Queens
Who: Occupy Queens, Columbia University students, Occupy the New SchoolFor more information, see the press release about the week's actions from OWS' press relations working group:
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http://press.nycga.net/2012/04/13/fab-week/ -
Atlanta: Occupy and Vine City Residents Take On Bank Of America
The foreclosure crisis hit Vine City hard. Now, only 15% of residents own their homes and many of them are facing hardship, like resident Pamela Flores whose property backs up to Martin Luther King III and City Councilman Michael Julian Bond’s home.
Pamela bought her home at an inflated amount in 2006, the height of the crime spree at the hands of American banking institutions. In 2009 she attempted to get a loan modification with Bank of America through the “Making Homes Affordable” program. The bank told her that in order to qualify she needed to miss 3-4 mortgage payments; this is a scam that has already put countless Americans out of their homes. During the time she missed payments, at the banks request and in order to meet the loan modification criteria, she fell into foreclosure. By qualifying for the “Making Homes Affordable” program foreclosure was temporarily avoided. Pamela began to pay trial period monthly payments for the “Making Homes Affordable” program. When it was time for Bank of America to grant her the promised modification, they instead mailed her a notification alleging that she failed to make four out of five payments. Her home, unknowing to her, was slated for auction at the Fulton County courthouse during the time the bank claimed to be researching their records for the “missing” payments. The thing is, Pamela Flores never missed a payment, in fact she was never even late, and has all the records to prove it.
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CA: Rolling Hunger Strike to Stop Illegal Foreclosures
Join us in a chain hunger strike to demand the banksters be held accountable for systematic foreclosure fraud against hundreds of thousands of homeowners. On April 6, 2012, Donna Vieira ended her 16-day hunger strike. Tim Nonn (Occupy Petaluma) is continuing the hunger strike, to protest the lack of prosecution of the banks for foreclosure fraud. Tim began on April 6 and will end his leg of the hunger strike on April 13.
We invite others to participate in the rolling hunger strike by signing up for one or more days. If you are interested in participating, please email Brenda (brendahreed@sbcglobal.net) to be placed on the schedule of hunger strikers.
Join with members of the Occupy Movement by standing in solidarity with the millions of homeowners who have already been foreclosed or are facing foreclosure. The banks have been given a license to steal our homes by the government. We must demand accountability and criminal prosecutions for these massive crimes that are wrecking families’ lives and our communities. (Pictured above in SF AG’s office: Tim Nonn second from the left and Donna Vieira second from the right, along with supporters from Oakland and Sacramento.)
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Occupy Greensboro joins Occupy Raleigh to reclaim an evicted family’s foreclosed home
Updates from today's action are below the fold.
Occupy Greensboro joins Occupy Raleigh to reclaim an evicted family’s foreclosed home
A family in Raleigh has been evicted and forced from their home through an illegal foreclosure. They have been ordered to remove all personal property from their home by Sunday April 8, 2012. The family has bravely chosen to fight eviction and foreclosure and is requesting community support. Evidence of robo-signing by the bank, which is a fraud, has been uncovered and the entire foreclosure process is under attorney review.
It is up to us to send a clear message that we will not allow this to happen.
On Monday, April 9th, community participants will enter the house and refuse to leave as an act of civil disobedience. Another 10 families in this predominantly African-American neighborhood are facing similarly illegal foreclosure and eviction.
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Maui: Urgent Action to Stop Eviction of the Phillips-Tehiva Family on Easter
Update: Wells Fargo has agreed to a postponement of eviction until after the pending hearing on May 1st.
Wells Fargo Please Wait Until The Case Can be Heard on May 1st – You Do Not Have to Evict the Family on EASTER SUNDAY!!!!!!!
PLEASE STOP THE EVICTION OF THE PHILLIPS-TEHIVA FAMILY HATOTA TEHIVA, JAYDENE PHILLIPS TEHIVA, and JOYCELENE PHILLIPS
Hana, Hawaii 96713
Loan # 111003400We support the Phillips-Tehiva `Ohana and the right for them to remain on their property at 5305 Hana Highway in Hana, Maui, Hawai`i. The nine family members, including 6 children and an ailing grandmother, are about to be evicted from land that has been in the family since the Great Mahele. The family has a reconsideration hearing in Second Circuit District Court scheduled for May 1, 2012.
HOWEVER, their eviction is scheduled for EASTER SUNDAY morning at 10:00 am. EASTER SUNDAY!
EVERYONE PLEASE : EMAIL and CALL WELLS FARGO: (and post this to your Facebook and Twitter)
John.G.Stumpf@wellsfargo.com; mary.coffin@wellsfargo.com; mark.oman@wellsfargo.com; kovacedm@wellsfargo.com; Todd.M.Boothroyd@wellsfargo.com; sharon.cecil@wellsfargo.com; Richard.D.Levy@wellsfargo.com; David.M.Carroll@wellsfargo.com; kevin.a.rhein@wellsfargo.com; AVID.MODJTABAI@wellsfargo.com; BoardCommunications@wellsfargo.com; bkaanehe@rcolegal.com
I ask for your assistance in preventing a gross miscarriage of justice.
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Occupy Our Homes DC helps save Dawn Butler from eviction
Update: Here's the latest from Occupy Our Homes DC:
» Read MoreOccupy Our Homes DC wins another victory. At 9 AM, Monday, April 2nd, J.P. Morgan Chase directed U.S. Marshals to evict Dawn Butler from her home on Maryland Avenue NE in Capitol Hill. With a strong show of force over 40 activists were present and determined to defend Ms. Butler's home from eviction. Metro Washington Police and the moving crew had arrived while activists sang songs and blocked the staircase. At the same time, Ms. Butler was at Landlord and Tenant court in Northwest Washington and successfully requested that the judge call off the eviction.
Representatives from other housing activist groups including City Life/Vida Urbana and the Backbone Campaign spoke out against unfair evictions at the home. Bertina Jones, who joined with Occupy Our Homes DC to get her house back from Freddie Mac in February, also spoke at the home and expressed solidarity with Ms. Butler's case. The movement for housing for all is growing in the District of Columbia. Ms. Butler has been a tenant since 2006 and following the foreclosure of her landlord has tried to exercise her rights as a tenant. There will be a court date this spring where the merits of the case will be heard. The spring offensive is underway.
